*Transcribed*
We had another conversation this afternoon of how many of the iNGOs (International Non-Governmental Organization) are so wasteful. I touched on it in this entry but now I’ve really seen everything first hand. It’s sickening to think that while some people in these camps barely have food to eat because they’re getting Rs.350 (~$4.50)/WEEK, some NGOs are paying their employees Rs.10,000+ (~$125)/DAY! A reasonable salary in
Jacob asked why can’t anyone expose the waste and force them to be more efficient. Well, since these are supposed to be not-for-profit and they have mountains of money, there is no need for efficiency. The other problem is: What happens when the world begins questioning themselves about an establishment as big as the UN? I’m honestly convinced that since so much money has come in, they don’t know what to do with it, so they’re giving their employees a nice time. Imagine you were paying a company $10K for a service and you see $8K of that is spent on things that could have cost $4K. You would be annoyed because they could have either saved you $4K or put that $4K towards giving you a better service! This is exactly what’s happening. Your donation is supposed to provide a service; instead, a large portion of it (sometimes above 75%) is spent on incidental expenses. I think it’s only fair that YOUR money be spent as efficiently as possible.
Let me make something clear: I’m not anti-iNGO. In fact, an iNGO will probably be able to do much more in a day than I will be able to do during my entire stay here. The point I’m making is that people like myself, people like Luke and Hannah (Ath Welak project) are efficiently spending the little that we have to help others. We’re spending our own money so we have to be careful how it’s spent. I’m getting a lot done relative to the means I have. The iNGOs are doing a lot, but are not doing as much as they could be with their available resources. If I had millions of dollars at MY disposal I wouldn’t be spending it on luxuries. People need nice places to stay and means to get around, but they don’t need extravagance with other people’s hard-earned money. I would be even MORE careful with other people’s money! You’re donating money to help those in need; not for someone to do some volunteer work while having a vacation. Of course I go out and party with friends here (or I’d go insane!), but not with money that’s supposed to be spent on the less fortunate. Don’t tell me I’m misinformed. This is all coming from someone who has spent time with the people in need as well as with “volunteers” at the Hilton. It’s disgusting.
I am really glad you wrote this down from first hand experience. That really is disgusting! I mean for those who are “volunteers” gaining a good reputation by supposedly supporting a good cause but yet living a lavish life style funded by hardworking people who feel that they are making a difference somehow! How can they go to bed at night knowing that the money that they used to eat at a five star restaurant could have SAVED another’s life? Sorry for ranting but this really bothers me.